4 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
NEXT GREAT MOVEMENT. 
Horticulture in Europe Contrasted with that in America—Start¬ 
ling Figures Presented by Professor Bailey Regarding 
Agricultural Education on the Continent—What 
is Needed for American Progress. 
At the meeting of the Western New York Horticultural 
Society last, month, Professor L. H. Bailey, fresh from a 
European trip, contrasted most entertainingly and instruct¬ 
ively European and American horticulture. The limited 
time allowed him on the programme gave opportunity for but 
a suggestion of what the professor has in store as the result of 
his investigations. 
“ While there are in England,” said Professor Bailey, 
“ some large areas devoted to horticulture. European orchards 
and fruit plots are, as a rule, small. The commercial idea is 
not largely developed in Europe. There the people are satis¬ 
fied if they can make a living out of their fruits. In America 
the fruit grower is not satisfied unless he can make a living 
and put money in the bank and become rich. In America 
everything is on a speculative basis.. European orchards 
have a great variety of trees. Orchards that were originally 
apple orchards now contain here a cherry tree and there a 
plum or a pear tree, all through them. When an apple tree 
died it was replaced by an apple or other tree. 
“ The only attempt is to supply the local markets. For 
that reason Americans have been successful in shipping fruit 
in large quantities to Europe. Orchardists across the water 
do not attempt much in the wholesale way. And there is a 
difference in the fruits grown. Blackberries are practically 
unknown in Europe; they have no cranberries there as we 
know the fruit ; field pumpkins, sweet potatoes and even 
bananas are not at all common. The question in America is, 
what variety of apple or pear is good for this section of the 
country. In Europe the question considered is, what variety 
is good for this town. 
“ Spraying, although having its origin in the old country, is 
not practiced as in America. We are far ahead of the Euro¬ 
peans in this respect. Of course there is extensive spraying 
of vines along the Rhine, in Northern Italy and in the Tyrol. 
But most of the spraying in Europe is on a smaller scale, 
with the knapsack sprayer. There could not be there such a 
discussion of spraying as we have heard here this afternoon. 
Indeed, there could not be such a convention of horticultur¬ 
ists as this in Europe.” 
Some notes as to yields of fruit trees and shrubs, taken 
from statistics in Kent county, England, the garden of the 
United Kingdom, were given. Six tons of pears are raised 
to the acre, and they sell at two cents per pound. Raspberries 
are packed in half barrels containing eighteen gallons. It 
should be added that these are used mostly for jam. Straw¬ 
berries are carried in four-quart baskets. Plums, cherries, 
gooseberries and currants are packed in half-bushel baskets 
covered with green grass or paper. The transportation rate, 
from a point eighteen miles distant, to London, is $4 per ton 
for apples and $1; per ton for strawberries. 
“As to the outlook for American fruit in Europe,” con¬ 
tinued Professor Bailey, “ it should be borne in mind that 
European growers will supply the market for special varieties. 
The discriminating trade in Europe will be met by the home 
growers. But for the mass of the people who are glad to get 
fruit of any kind, there is opportunity for the American 
grower. The outlook for large shipments, for instance, of the 
Ben Davis apple is good ; and those who will eat the Ben 
Davis will also eat the Kieffer pear. But the European fruit 
growers are organizing to combat the American trade. They 
are going to try to drive the American out. I was in Germany 
at the time the embargo was put upon American fruit and 
trees. I was convinced that such action was not a matter of 
vindictiveness, but of self protection simply. If there had 
been as much written in Germany about an insect there as has 
been written about the San Jose scale in America, I would have 
been one of the first to have demanded an embargo upon 
German fruit. I think we have been too much scared our¬ 
selves. The San Jose scale is a serious pest, but it is a fair 
question whether we have not made too much stir about what 
we cannot help.” 
On the subject of the schools in Europe, particularly agri¬ 
cultural schools, Professor Bailey gave figures, that were stal¬ 
ling. The American people think this country has done much 
in the way of providing agricultural education and establish¬ 
ing experiment stations. Professor Bailey referred to the'hun- 
dreds of agricultural schools in the European countries, and 
turning to France said that country has 3,362 schools of 
agriculture and 78 experiment stations which, in 1896, cost 
$900,000. Besides this there are 79,000 primary schools in 
France where agriculture must be taught. 
“ Bavaria, Wurtemberg and Baden fifty years ago were in 
the condition, agriculturally, that Ireland is in to-day,” said 
Professor Bailey. “ They have been raised to their present 
advanced state by government aid. The difficulties in the 
way of agricultural progress will not work themselves out, 
European governments have been alive to the importance of 
the matter. 
“We in America have done much in the way of advancing 
our agricultural interests, but there is much more that must be 
done. We have provided institutions for higher education in 
agriculture; we have traveling lecturers and we have experi¬ 
ment stations. I think we do not need any more agricultural 
colleges nor any more experiment stations. But we do need 
to have agriculture taught in our public schools and our 
young people should have actual farm training. It may not be 
deemed advisable to teach agriculture in our primary schools. 
I want to call your attention to the importance of nature study. 
This is pursued at Cornell University with great success; also 
at other places. There are already 23,000 teachers ready to 
superintend and 16,000 pupils have asked for nature study 
We have not the necessary actual training on the farm. In 
Europe there are model farms, but these are expensive. We 
have many model and typical farms. My proposition is that 
the government pay a certain sum, an honorarium, not a sal¬ 
ary, to every farmer, per pupil, to impart instruction to boys 
outside of his own family; that a central bureau determine the 
fitness of farmers to impart this instruction. 
“ In my opinion farm training must be the next great agri¬ 
cultural movment in America. We have seen four great move¬ 
ments : 1, Agricultural colleges; 2, farmers’ institutes; 3, 
experiment stations; 4, nature study. The fifth must be farm 
training.” 
C. F. McNair, Dansville, N. Y., January, 27 , 1899 —“ Enclosed is 
our $1 for your journal, which we cannot get along without and look 
for each month.” 
